Learning to Love Again
by erinxe09
Summary: After being hurt in the past, Ashley Davies has closed her heart to any idea of love; except for the love of her children. Ashley is scared she will be turned off from love, until she meets the blonde haired, blue eyed beauty of her dreams.
1. Chasing the Light

Learning to Love Again

She rubbed her swollen stomach as the pains came and went. She knew that it was about time for her to deliver. She was scared. Her father came home from tour the minute she called him and finally mustered up the courage to tell him the news. Her mother was pissed beyond all belief and threw her out. She got in touch with a social worker that placed her in a teen home until her father could come and get her.

Ashley Davies wasn't stupid. She knew that he wasn't going to stay with her. She knew that she was going to have to care for this little one by herself. She knew she had made a mistake; she didn't enjoy it like she thought she would have. Now she was stuck with the consequences. She was going to love this baby though. She would show it the kind of love she had only dreamed about growing up.

I walked- okay well I waddled, into the bathroom. It was the little things that were becoming the hardest to do. Like peeing, it shouldn't be this hard. But when you have an extra thirty pounds to worry about, it makes things a little difficult. My dad was downstairs, ready to take me to my doctor's office, and hopefully it would be the last time I would have to go before delivering. I knew that it was going to be soon, I couldn't wait to get this baby out of me.

"Ashley!" He called. I knew that my dad still loved me. But lately I could tell that he was getting pissed off with me. I got kicked out of my mom's house when she found out, and when I called my dad he was on the first red-eye home to take care of me. I still don't get how he understood me on the phone when I called him. I was blabbering on like an idiot and I was surprised that he could understand me.

"Coming Daddy!" I yelled down the stairs. I grabbed my coat and slipped on my black boots. I tried to tuck my jeans into them, but I couldn't because of my belly being in the way. I groaned and waddled downstairs and got into the car.

It had been chilly lately in LA, which was not usual for December, but it had been extra cold. The high schoolers had just started on their Winter Break, giving me an extra three weeks to get acclimated if the baby decided to come soon. The windows on the car were frosted over a bit and I smiled as my dad opened the car door for me to get in.

Shortly after arriving at the doctors, I was told that he was going to induce me because the babies had gotten bigger than expected and he didn't want to put any more stress on my body. That's right. I said babies – as in multiple. Fuck. Yep, I didn't see that one coming either. Dad wasn't thrilled, but what are you gonna do?

I was told to go to the hospital and the doctor would meet me there…

After six and a half hours after my water breaking I welcomed two beautiful babies into the world. I loved them from the moment I saw them and I was so happy, for once, to have someone to live for. Benjamin Raife Davies and Brooklyn Rebecca Davies were my two perfect, beautiful and adorable babies.

_Three Years Later_

"Brooklyn, come downstairs please." I pleaded one last time. I was standing at the bottom of the stair case holding my daughter's backpack and lunchbox. It was the twins first day of day care and Brooklyn was not having it. I sighed as I set her belongings down and told her brother to take a seat on the couch. I walked up the stairs and entered the room that the two three year olds shared.

Brooklyn was sitting on her bed, dressed and ready to go. She was crying though. My heart melted a little, I didn't like to see my kids cry and that was one thing that softened me up.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I asked her as I took a seat next to her and pulled her tiny body onto my lap.

"I don't want to go to school, mommy." She answered as she sniffled and rubbed her already red eyes.

"Why not?" I pushed her straightened brown hair out of her face so I could see her beautiful green eyes, the only thing she ever got from her father. That, and her love of basketball which I still had yet to understand.

"I want to stay with you and Ben here."

"But honey, Mommy has to go back to work and school." I attempted to explain to her.

"Why can't I go to grandpa's then?" She asked as she laid her head onto my chest.

"Because grandpa is back on tour, he's not here right now. You know that."

"You're going to come get me and Ben though, right?" She asked. I stifled a laugh.

"Of course Baby. I wouldn't leave you there by yourself!" I hugged her and picked her up. We made our way back downstairs and eventually to the daycare, although I was already running late for work.

"Bye guys, I'll see you at four!" I smiled and waved as I walked out of the building and to my car. I finally made it to the office after making a coffee run on my way in.

I walked up the stairs and into the lobby, waving to Maria, the receptionist, as I made my way into my office, leaving the coffee on my boss's desk. I began my busy work until I heard the door slam and heel clicking on the granite flooring.

"Hi Andrea, coffee is on the desk and new demo tapes have been sent out to Columbia, Sony and Big Fish Records." I smiled as I placed some paper work on her desk and made my way back into my own office.

"Ashley?" Andrea asked.

"Yes?" I called.

"How are your little ones?" I smiled. Andrea seemed super intimidating when I first came in to interview with her. She stood a little taller than me, putting her at about 5'6", with blonde hair and brown eyes. She had stoic like features on her face that made her look mean, but she wasn't once you got past the intimidating factor about her.

"They're doing well, my dad left for tour yesterday, for about six weeks, so it's just the three of us. They're off to their first day of pre-school today. Brooklyn didn't want to have anything to do with it this morning."

"That's precious. Is it hard taking care of both without your father around?"

"Not really, I mean I'm used to it now. It's been three years, off and on by myself."

I never heard back from Aiden Dennison after I told him I was pregnant. He said he didn't believe me, and when I showed up to school and first started showing, he completely ignored me and pretended I didn't exist. I decided then and there that he was not going to be in the babies' lives unless he manned up and came forward and wanted to. I gave him a chance and he never took it.

I grew a thick skin after that. I distanced myself from people I used to trust. I became really close with my dad and knew that he was always going to be there for me. I also knew that he was probably the only one that I could trust. I blocked myself away from everyone else in high school that I was around; I couldn't put my kids through that.

Work came, and work went. I had one afternoon class today and I was not going to be late. It was the first day and I was actually early for once. I sat in the second row, I didn't want to seem too eager but then again I didn't want to seen disinterested. It was American Literature; although I wasn't a super huge fan of Faulkner and Fitzgerald it was hopefully going to be a fun class. Students started to file in and take seats around and in front of me. I pulled out a notebook and began to doodle, checking my phone every now and then to make sure there were no emergency phone calls from the day care. There weren't.

I looked up and smiled at the girl that had just taken a seat next to me. I slipped and fell into those beautiful blue eyes. I turned away for a second, hoping I wasn't blushing. It was going to be an interesting semester.


	2. Ships in the Night

Chapter Two: Ships in the Night

The class went on what felt like forever. When the professor finally announced that we were done for the day I silently rejoiced. I began putting my notebook and pens away. I glanced at my watch, three fifteen. I had forty five minutes until I had to get the twins.

She looked over at me like she was going to ask me a question. I grinned and held out my hand.

"Ashley Davies." I introduced myself. She took my hand and shook it; I felt a spark instantly at the contact between the two of us.

"Spencer Carlin." She smiled back. "Have you taken this professor before?" She asked, leaning back in her seat a bit.

"Uhm, no." I laughed nervously, "This is only my second class at this university. It's hard to schedule classes around work and other things." I didn't want to let my kids be public news just yet.

"Oh, I just transferred from OU." She looked around. The class had cleared out and it was only me and her left in the room. "It's way different in LA than it is in Ohio."

I nodded. I had never been to Ohio, there's not a whole lot there that I would be interested in. I looked at my phone; I still had plenty of time. "Do you wanna go grab coffee? There's a cute coffee shop right across campus." I asked her. I usually didn't have balls this big to ask a girl out the moment I saw her; but there was something different about this girl.

"Yeah, that would be great." She smiled and gathered her belongings, as I did the same.

"So Spencer from Ohio, tell me something about you." I laughed as we walked across the street to Serendipity.

"Well, I just moved here from OU to get away from Ohio and the people there. I wanted to start fresh, away from my family and friends." She laughed nervously and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "What about you Ms. Ashley Davies?"

"Let's see. I was born and raised here in Los Angeles. Just me and my mom and dad. Dad got divorced because he wanted to be a rock star." I smiled and shrugged, I ordered my coffee after Spencer put in her order and we waited for our drinks. I glanced at my watch, it was three-thirty.

"Do you have somewhere to be? We can finish this another time." She offered. I smiled and shook my head.

"I just have to be somewhere at 4, its fine, it's right down the road."

"Alrighty then." She laughed and found a table for us near the window, looking out onto the campus common area. I sipped at my latte and looked around the coffee shop. It was a cute little shop, local artists hung their artwork. Hipsters sat around reading poetry books, while indie soft rock music played on the radio in the background.

"So Spencer, how old are you?" I asked, general small talk wasn't really my thing. I hated awkward silences and thinking of ways to start conversation.

"Twenty one; freshly twenty-one. My birthday was last month." She smiled. "What about yourself?"

"Twenty." I played with my ring on my right hand, it was a nervous tick that I had when I was in an uncomfortable situation. I heard my phone buzzing in my purse, I looked at her and she nodded as if to say "answer it".

"This is Ashley." I answered, the number was from the daycare and I was beginning to panic.

"Hi Ms. Davies. We just wanted to call and let you know that Ben fell off the swing set about twenty minutes ago. He's fine but we can't get him to calm down. We had the nurse check him out and everything seems to be fine." I took in a sharp breath.

"I'll be there shortly." I said as I hung up the phone and stood up. Spencer stood up as well and had a look of concern on her face.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I just need to get down to- uhh- where I need to be." I stuttered. Spencer nodded.

"Okay, well I'll see you Wednesday for class. Here's my number if you need anything." She jotted down her number on a napkin and handed it to me. I smiled and quickly made my way back to the car. I got in and started towards the day care.

"Hey. I'm Ashley Davies, Ben and Brooklyn's mom." I told the girl at the front desk. She nodded and let me through the gate and into the play room, where I saw Brooklyn watching her brother cry, and Ben being consoled by three of the nannies.

"Momma!" He cried as he got up and ran toward me. I squatted down and hugged him as he ran into my arms.

"Moster, what happened?" I asked him, ruffling his shaggy brown hair. He looked at me and shrugged.

"I was swinging and then fell." He stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, kissing his forehead and motioning to Brooklyn to get her stuff together.

"Yeah. I just missed you." He said hugging me one more time.

"I missed you too buddy. Why don't you get your stuff and we'll all go home and get some dinner." I suggested. He nodded and grabbed his backpack and lunch box. I signed the kids out and got them out to the car. I buckled them into their car seats and we made our way back to the townhouse.

Dinner was cooked, baths were given, and the kids were finally in bed after three stories. We had a deal, they each read one book and then I read them a longer one. My kids were smart, they already knew how to read pretty well, we were working on math and spelling.

I sat downstairs, aimlessly flipping through channels on TV. I remembered about the napkin in my purse and I grabbed it. I slid the unlock button on my phone over and entered the number into a new text message draft.

_**- Hey Spencer, it's Ashley Davies from class. Thanks for grabbing coffee with me. Sorry I had to bail so suddenly. (:**_

I set my phone down on the coffee table and got a beer out of the fridge. I was only twenty but I had my way around things. It had been a long day, and it was only Monday. My phone buzzed and I immediately grabbed it and viewed the new text.

_**- No problem, it was nice to meet you. I hope everything turned out okay. **_

_**- It did. Thanks. I owe you another coffee sometime soon. (:**_

_**-I may have to take you up on that offer. lol.**_

_**- maybe Wednesday after class? (:**_

_**- Sounds like a date! Have a great night. :P**_

I smiled as I put my phone in my lap, it was a date. Right? This was new. I had been with girls before, but it was a tap and go type deal. Since I had had Ben and Brooklyn, my life had been different. I hadn't smiled because of a text in a while. It was something new.

_Don__'__t__get__ahead__of__yourself__Davies.__You__just__met__the__girl._I thought to myself. I stopped on an episode of Criminal Intent and settled into the couch. I was happy that night. We'll have to see where this one goes.

I turned in for the night and retreated to my bedroom upstairs. I turned off the light and climbed into the sheets, cuddling with a pillow. It was the most action I had gotten in three years. That's motherhood for you, but I wouldn't change one single thing. I settled into sleep.

I woke up to a slight creaking of my door opening; I saw the light from the hallway and two little bodies standing in between it.

"Momma, can we come sleep with you?" Ben asked. I laughed and nodded.

"Only tonight guys, you need to sleep in your own bed." I smiled as I let them in on either side of my bed. They both nodded, cuddled up on my sides and we all three fell asleep. No one said life was perfect, but at that moment, it was pretty damn close.


	3. On and On

**Thank you guys so much! I really appreciate all the reviews. I don't know exactly where this story is going to go, so bear with me. And if you have any ideas PLEASE review and let me know. Any source of inspiration would help! Here's chapter three! ENJOY!**

On and On

My eyes fluttered open the next morning, the light was shining through the window. It was almost a little bit too bright. I realized that I had two munchkins cuddled up next to me as I attempted to shift onto my right side, away from the light. I sighed and climbed over Ben and towards my bathroom. I shut the door and turned on the light and began to undress to shower. As I pulled my shirt over my head, there was a knock at the door.

"Momma! I hafta go!" I heard Brooklyn calling from the other side. I opened it and let her in to do her thing. I laughed and told her to go back to bed until I came and woke her up. I needed to get ready for work before I got the kids up.

Ever since the day before, I could not stop thinking about Spencer. I even creeped on her Facebook a little bit last night. I don't know what it was about that girl. She seemed so safe, but so dangerous at the same time. There was definitely something different about her, and I wanted to find out what it was. I had been in a few relationships since the twins were born, but nothing to serious. And usually, as soon as the person found out about the kids, they bolted.

My first official girlfriend, Stacy, did it. I mean she stuck around for a little while but once Brooklyn accidentally called her "momma" she was out the door the next day. I never heard from her again. I tried to keep my kids protected from people walking in and out of their lives like people did with me when I was growing up. Like my mom.

I had not heard from her in about two years. She came to the delivery room when the twins were born. I think it was her way of trying. But she never really came around much when I finally brought them home. I couldn't say I blamed her, I mean she was already a bitch and when I brought two babies in the world, I knew from the start she wouldn't be able to show them the kind of love they needed.

I brought my attention back to the day that lay ahead of me. I had the day off from school, but I still had to work. I was supposed to drop the kids off at day care and then head in for a full day. I really did not want to go to work today, but someone had to pay the bills. I ran a hand through my brown tresses and sighed, sipping the last of my coffee.

I heard little feet pad down the stairs. I smiled as Ben and Brooklyn walked over to me and nuzzled their faces into my neck as I picked them up.

"Good morning my beautiful babies." I smiled as I kissed both of them on the head.

"We're big kids now momma. Not babies anymore." Ben told me.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I grinned as I set them back down and got them each a bowl of cereal and walked back upstairs to finish getting dressed. I quickly came back downstairs when I heard screaming coming from Brooklyn's mouth. I ran down the stairs and looked at the scene that was in front of me. Ben was standing on the table, spoon in hand and Brooklyn's hair was a mess and was sopping wet with milk and Fruity Pebbles. I groaned as I walked over to Brooklyn, I picked her up and held her a little ways away from me. I looked behind me as Ben got off the table and stood on the ground.

"Timeout, Ben. Now." I said in a serious tone. I hated being hard to my kids, but it was clear that this time I didn't need to ask what had happened. Ben solemnly made his way over to the timeout chair and sat down.

I brought Brooklyn upstairs and stripped her down; I threw her in the tub and gave her the world's quickest bath. I braided her hair into two French pigtails and dressed her in a cute tunic top and some leggings.

"Alright, let's go guys. We're already running late. Ben you're going to bed early tonight, no dessert and no story. You don't dump cereal on your sister. Say you're sorry." I demanded as I stood in the doorway of the townhouse.

"I sorry Brooklyn." Ben apologized to his sister and then gave her a hug. I knew the Terrible Twos existed, but I thought that three year olds were supposed to be easier. I could easily say that they were my kids though, troublemakers at best. I had finally dropped the kids off at school and gotten to work, a little late, but Andrea wasn't too hard on me. She knew I was a single mother and that I didn't have a lot of outside help with the twins other than my dad.

I entered my office and looked at the calendar. I had a meeting at three this afternoon with the corporate office. Shit. The daycare closed at four and I knew there was no way that I was going to be able to get the kids from daycare by that time. Corporate meetings always seemed to run over time, usually it wasn't a huge deal because my dad could get the kids, but considering he wasn't here, I was fucked at the moment.

I scrolled through my contacts in my phone and stopped on 'Chelsea'. I smiled and dialed the number. Chelsea was a long time friend from high school, one of the only people I still keep in contact with. She was an art geek like me, except she painted, sketched, drew, colored, she pretty much did it all. I, on the other hand, was a music junkie.

The phone rang the first three times before someone answered. "Chelsea Lewis' office, this is Erica."

"Hey Erica, It's Ashley. Is Chelsea there?"

"Hey Ash, yeah she is. Hold on one second." Erica transferred me to Chelsea's office and I waited for a response.

"Hey Ash. Whatsup?" She asked. I could hear her smile on the other side. She worked as an art curator for a few museums in the LA area. She got lucky with her timing. Straight out of high school she was offered a position at an office, the owner retired and handed it off to her after only a year of being there.

"Hey, I have a favor." I began. I knew she probably wouldn't have a problem getting them; the twins loved her almost as much as they loved me. "Can you possibly get the twins from daycare today? I have a corporate meeting, probably until five and my dad just left for tour."

"Yeah, Ash. No problem. I have a date at seven so just make sure you can get them by then or else their coming with me." She laughed and I thanked her again for her help and we hung up. I called the day care and let them know Chelsea was coming to get Ben and Brooklyn.

I finally got home from work, grabbed the twins from Chelsea's, and made it back home right before six o' clock. I cooked chicken nuggets and carrots for the kids and I ate whatever was left over. I felt like ever since I had kids, my diet and eating habits had flown out the metaphoric window. I used to work out, now I didn't have time. I used to eat real food, now I didn't have the energy to cook to separate meals. I was blessed with two of the world's pickiest eaters who wouldn't eat anything unless there was some sort of cheese or chicken involved.

Once Ben was in bed, I cuddled up with Brooklyn in my bed for story time. I read her "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and she was passed out by the second page. I carried her to her princess bed and tucked her in. On my way out I made sure Ben was still sleeping and I closed the door behind me.

I lay down on my bed and pulled a notebook out of my nightstand. I began to write song lyrics, nothing major, just for the purpose of getting it out onto paper. I loved to write just to get my thoughts out, seeing the ideas that ran through my head day after day. It was a nice release of energy to get everything out.

The next morning began like all the others, kids fed and dressed, minus Fruity Pebbles. They were dropped off and safe at day care and I was off of work and on my way to school. I was excited to go, not really because of the whole school part, but mainly to see Spencer again. We hadn't really texted since I got her number, but I didn't really know her.

I walked into the class room and a smiled graced my face when I saw spencer sitting in the same seat as she did on Monday, there was an open one right next to her. I sat down and placed my stuff beside me.

"Hey Ashley. How are you?" She smiled as she turned to face me. We still had about fifteen minutes before class started, which gave me plenty of time to talk to her.

"I'm okay, just tired." I laughed with a shrug. "How about you? How was studying for this class?"

"It was okay, I can't believe he already assigned us so much outside homework. Have you looked at the class schedule? We have a test next Wednesday already!" She smiled. A test already? She may just have to come over and study me.. I mean _with_ me.

"Well we could get a head start on studying and studying tonight if you're free?" I asked her with a smirk. I played with the ring on my ring finger while I waited.

"Yeah! That sounds great. Do you wanna come over to my place?" She asked with a grin. Her smile was so sexy. And those eyes… damn.

"I can't. We could study at my place… I have to warn you though. It may be a little loud." I sighed. I had to tell her, especially if she was going to study with me, it was difficult to study with three year olds running around.

"Why would it be loud?"

"I have kids." I flat out stated. I looked at her and her eyes widened a bit, I think just from the shock of the news.

"Kids?" She asked.

"Yeah, I have three year old twins: Ben and Brooklyn. That's why I had to leave early on Monday. There was an incident at the daycare with Ben." I explained briefly.

"That's cool." She smiled. "Kids are adorable."

"They are when you can give them back." I joked sarcastically. I loved my kids and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

"Well then let's study after class today. I'm sure this class is going to be super exciting today…" She stated with a hint of sarcasm.

"Let's do it." I smiled.

Review!


	4. All I Need

**Hey guys, thank you again for all the reviews. I really enjoy writing this story a lot ! I decided to change from writing in first person, to writing in third. It's easier to include other POVs other than just Ashley's! So… yeah! Here's chapter four, enjoyyy!**

All I Need

Chapter Four

Spencer had finally arrived at Ashley's apartment, when she knocked on the door; it was immediately answered by a little girl that looked identical to Ashley. Spencer smiled and waved at the little girl and grinned as her mother came up behind her.

"Hey Spencer, come on in." Ashley said holding the door open for the blonde. Spencer followed instructions and entered the townhouse.

"This is a nice place." Spencer stated while looking around. Off in the distance in the kitchen she saw a little boy, one that looked quite similar to the little girl that opened the door.

"Thanks, it's my dad's rental. Well, it used to be." Ashley smiled as she picked Brooklyn up off the ground. "Spencer, this is Brooklyn and the little rascal over at the table is Benjamin."

"Nice to meet you both." Spencer smiled.

"Miss Spencer? Do you wanna play dress up with me?" Brooklyn smiled as she pulled the plastic tiara that sat on her head off and attempted to give it to Spencer.

"I wish! I have to study with your momma though."

"Okay." Brooklyn got down from her mother's arms and ran upstairs to play with her dolls.

"She's adorable." Spencer commented as the little girl climbed the stairs to her room.

"Thanks, don't let her hear you say that though. It gets to her head. Takes after her father like that." Ashley commented as she grabbed her book off the coffee table and opened it to the chapter that their upcoming test was on.

Spencer settled into the couch cushions, pulling out her history book as well. Ashley looked over at the blonde and instantly got turned on with the black rim glasses that sat atop Spencer's nose.

"Damn." Ashley whispered to herself. When Spencer asked if there was anything wrong Ashley just shook her head. The duo had been reading over the material and quizzing each other for about forty-five minutes when Brooklyn came down the stairs. She saw her mom and Spencer sitting close, almost too close.

"Miss Spencer?" Brooklyn asked as she stood at the bottom of the staircase.

"Yes Miss Brooklyn." Spence smiled back.

"Do you like girls?" The three year old bluntly asked. Spencer seemed to choke back a little bit and Ashley's brown eyes widened to the size of watermelons.

"Excuse me?" Spencer asked in shock. Ashley would have stepped in but she wanted to know the answer to the question her daughter had asked.

"Well, my momma likes girls, but Miss Chelsea likes boys. Not just like as friends but _like__like._ Do you like girls like my momma, or boys like Miss Chelsea?" Bed explained from the table, not looking up from his picture that he was coloring.

"Uhmm…" Spencer hesitated. She didn't want to lie to the little kids, but she didn't want to play dumb in front of Ashley. She kind of got the crush vibe from Ashley when they first met. I mean the girl was gorgeous. Brooklyn playfully stuck a hand on her hip and began to tap her foot. Ashley could tell that Spencer was getting a little uncomfortable.

"Sweetie, it's not polite to ask people questions like that." The brunette said as she rushed her mini-me up the stairs to finish playing so that she and the blonde could finish studying.

"Sorry, she's just curious. She doesn't get the whole idea yet. It's hard to comprehend for me even!" Ashley explained.

"No problem.." Spencer hesitated and then got the courage to ask: "If you don't mind my asking.. if you like girls, how did you.. with them… and their dad?"

Ashley laughed and set her book in her lap, "It was before I really understood my feelings. Their dad was the first and only guy I'd been with. It happened and he bolted. When he found out I was a lesbian he swore them off even more." She explained as Spencer nodded, trying to take all the information in.

"So, are you going to answer Brooklyn's question?" Ashley prodded. The other girl shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, I do like girls… I think. I guess you could call me a late bloomer. I came out to LA to get away from my family and the Ohio small town influence on the matter. I had a relationship-thing with a girl from my high school last year. We graduated together and went to OU together. She was my roommate and we tried things and were in a secret fling." Spencer didn't know where the hell this word vomit was coming from. She was never really this open with other people around her. Ashley took the information in and nodded.

"Cool. I totally understand. My first girlfriend wasn't until I was nineteen. I had these suckers and they were about two years old. I met the girl in the grocery store and I was struggling holding both of them while trying to shop because neither of them wanted to be in the cart – go figure- and Stacy helped me carry them around. To repay her I asked her out to dinner and we started dating from there. She was sweet, but one of the twins called her "momma" and she got overwhelmed and left. Just like Aiden did."

"Aiden?" Spencer asked, a little lost and out of the loop.

"Their dad." Ashley stated as she looked down at her books. She didn't like that the twins didn't have a steady father figure in their lives. Raife did a great job when he was around but he was on tour a lot and wasn't always around like a father should be.

"How did your parents take the news of you coming out? Have you?" Ashley asked. There wasn't tension in the room concerning this topic. If there was she wouldn't be digging this deep to ask.

"My dad took it okay. He's a social worker here in LA, my parents divorced when I was nine and my dad moved out here for the urban social work. He's the reason I chose UCLA. But he is totally supportive and accepts my lifestyle. My mom, on the other hand, threw a bitch fit. She threw my girlfriend out, by the hair, when she found us in bed together. It was not a pretty scene. But she's slowly coming around. I think she thinks that if she avoids it for a certain amount of time, it'll just go away." Spencer smiled as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, exposing a tattoo that Ashley saw.

"You tatted up?" Ashley asked, looking around the girl to get a better view of the tattoo.

"Yeah, it's a dream catcher. My ex and I both have them. Dumb idea but I told myself that if I look back fifteen years from now and feel the way I did then when I see it, I'll be okay."

"Nice, I have a few too." Ashley lifted her shirt up to expose the side of her rib cage. There were the written words 'palma non sine pulvere' in black ink.

"What does it mean?" Spencer asked.

"No reward without effort. It's in Latin." Ashley smiled, she turned around and showed Spencer her tramp stamp that she had gotten stupidly when she turned sixteen. Whilst turning back around, the brunette glanced at the clock.

"I need to get the twins bathed and in bed, it should only take me about fifteen minutes. If you want to study after you can hang out down here." She smiled.

"Do you want help?" Spencer offered.

"Sure?" Ashley accepted and gathered Bed from downstairs and Brooklyn from her bedroom. The two adults cleaned the twins and got them into bed in record time. The kids didn't fuss because Spencer was there, which Ashley appreciated. Once they got the two kids asleep, they made their way back downstairs. Ashley walked to the fridge and pulled out a Michelob Ultra. "Do you want anything?" She offered. Ashley didn't work on Thursdays, therefore she didn't mind drinking and/or how late Spencer stayed over.

"Sure, I'll take one." Spencer smiled. She cracked open the bottle and offered a toast.

"To this stupid history test… and getting to know each other." She smiled as her and the woman next to her clinked bottles and drank.

"Let's get cracking." Ashley smiled as they moved back to the couch and began quizzing each other on the 3/5ths vote and the Jackson presidency.

Another hour or so had past, the girls had each downed about three bottles each and they were feeling pretty good. Ashley scooted closer to Spencer to "look at her notes" but she smelled the blonde's coconut shampoo and scented body spray. The clock on the wall read '9:55' and Ashley was getting pretty tired. She closed her book and grabbed the remote.

"I can't study anymore." She announced as she flipped through the movie channels.

"Me neither, I should probably get going." Spencer decided as she followed suit and closed her book.

"Nuh-uh." Ashley insisted. "You downed three, almost four, beers in an hour. There is no way you're leaving now."

"Ash, I have school and work tomorrow." Spencer argued.

"I don't care. Watch a movie with me and then you can go." Ashley roped her in. Spencer agreed and they settled down, water bottles in hand and began to watch 'The Patriot' with Mel Gibson, before he went insane.

"I've never seen this movie." Spencer told Ashley as she pulled a blanket over her legs.

"It's good." Ashley shushed as the movie began, little did Spencer know that it was a four hour movie.

About forty five minutes into it, Ashley was beginning to feel a little adventurous. She moved closer to Spencer, claiming she was cold so they could share the blanket and she leaned in to the blonde's shoulder, resting her brown head of curls on it.

"Spencer." Ashley whispered, making the blonde look over at her in question.

"Yea-." Spencer was cut off by the brunette's lips hungrily attacking hers. Spencer's first instinct was to fight and push the girl off, but Ashley's lips were welcoming and sweet. The kiss was soft, yet forceful enough to continue it. Spencer pushed onto Ashley's lips, which separated, allowing Spencer's tongue begin to explore. There was a soft moan from Ashley as the other girls tongue massaged her own. The two eventually tore apart and Ashley smiled, as did Spencer.

"That was nice." Ashley stated. All Spencer could do was nod and smile in agreement. The two turned back to the movie, Ashley intertwined her fingers with the blondes and smiled a subtle smile onto her pink lips.

Review! Updates come faster! (:


	5. Runaway

**Thanks guys for the reviews ! (: This story is getting updated so fast because I am on break from college and I have nothing better to do, haha. But I will be going on vacation next week, while I will have my laptop with me, I wont have internet, so there will be no updates for about a week, but when we come back from vacation expect probably three updates ! This will probably be the last one until then, so I'm going to try and make it longer. **

**Now that I'm done blabbing on, here's Chapter five!**

The two girls had finished the movie; Ashley looked at the clock which read 11:46. Spencer seemed to be falling asleep as time passed. Ashley was going to offer her to spend the night on the couch but she didn't want to move things too fast.

"Spencer, wake up." Ashley shook the blonde a little bit, "Are you going to be okay to drive home?" She asked with concern to the other girl.

Spencer's eyes fluttered open, exposing her baby blues to the harsh light of the end table lamp. She nodded tiredly and awkwardly grabbed her bag and thanked Ashley for having her over. She quickly let herself out of the house and walked to her car.

Ashley sat on the couch for a little while; she picked up the phone and texted Spencer.

_Did u get home ok?_

She waited for a response, her phone buzzed and displayed a new text message from Spencer Carlin.

_Yea__…_ was all it said. Ashley sighed, hoping that she didn't accidentally move things too fast. She made her way up to her bed and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning the familiar sound of the alarm blaring the latest rock song awoke Ashley. She suddenly moved and her arm flung, making her hand hit the snooze button. Fifteen minutes later, her alarm went off again. This time, Ashley dug up some energy and got out of bed. She walked into her son and daughter's room and woke them up gently. Ben was the first to bolt down stairs and grab the Fruity Pebbles. Brooklyn was always one that wanted that extra five minutes of sleep in the morning. She eventually woke up and joined Ashley and Ben downstairs for breakfast.

Ashley soon then got the kids ready for school and dropped them off at daycare. Having the whole day to herself, a rare occurrence, she decided to text Chelsea and see if she wanted to meet up for lunch. Chelsea agreed and they met at a sidewalk café in West Hollywood.

"How is everything, Ash?" Chelsea asked while stirring her sweet tea with her straw.

"It's good, I met a girl…" Ashley smiled. Chelsea's eyes begged for more information. "She's in my history class this semester. Her name is spencer and she is absolutely gorgeous."

"And…"

"She came over yesterday to study, and we actually did study! She met Brooklyn and Ben, she was totally sweet with them. Then Brooklyn came downstairs and asked if she liked boys like you did or girls like momma did. Spence was taken aback at first and then smiled and said that she liked girls. Which is always a plus in my book."

Chelsea laughed as Ashley continued her Spencer rant. "Then she helped me bathe them and put them to bed, we watched a movie, and I may have kissed her.."

"No way!" Chelsea said in disbelief. "Already?"

"Yeah. She totally went for it though." The girls' food came, and they began to eat. Ashley's phone buzzed on the table. She reached over and viewed the text message.

_I think things moved way too fast last night. –Spencer_

"Shit." Ashley sighed. Chelsea looked up from her salad with questioning eyes.

"What happened?"

"Spencer just texted me saying that she thinks things moved too fast.."

"Aw, Ashley I'm sorry. You should talk to her." Chelsea advised.

"I don't know. She may just need space, but what do I say back to that?"

"Be honest." Ashley sighed and picked up her phone, her fingers typed away and she hit the SEND button.

_Hey, I'm sorry if things moved too fast. I think you're an amazing person even if I've only known you for a week. I'll see you in class on Monday?_

"Whatever, if it happens it happens." Ashley lied. Ashley didn't receive a text back from Spencer. The two girls finished their lunch and went off on their separate ways. Ashley grabbed the kids from school, Ben asked if Spencer was coming over again and Ashley told him "no" without an explanation as to why.

The night ended the way the usual nights in the Davies household did. Ashley relaxed on the couch when she heard the front door open. Her dad walked in.

"Daddy!" She smiled as she got up and ran into his arms.

"Hey honey!" Raife smiled as he hugged his daughter back.

"How was the concert? You're back super early." Ashley smiled.

"It was really good, Jeff got sick and we couldn't continue with the rest of this tour, we had to postpone it until he gets better." The father explained.

"Well, the kids missed you after an hour of you leaving, I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

The duo walked over to the kitchen and Ashley heated up some leftovers for her dad, who hadn't eaten yet. Raife asked Ashley how things had been for the past week, she simply said that things had gone well with class and work and that the kids were making new friends at school.

"Have you met anyone in your classes?"

"Kinda." Ashley smiled, her face changing when she remembered the text she got today.

"What's her name?" Raife smiled.

"Spencer."

"Oh! It's a he?" Ashley laughed and shook her head.

"No, she's a girl. She came over and I think I scared her away. Things got a little out of hand.." Ashley trailed off.

"Ashley." Raife warned.

"Not like that dad. We just kissed, but it was apparently too fast for her." Raife just nodded his head and ate his food.

"Well, I'm sure everything will work out. I'm going to take the kids tomorrow so you can get a break and focus on school for the weekend." He suggested. Ashley agreed by nodding her head and thanked her father.

She made her way upstairs and undressed. She let the hot water wash over her body she allowed herself to relax and forget a little about the day. She was getting tired so she got out of the steaming shower and dressed for bed, easily falling asleep as her body hit the mattress.

Ashley awoke in the middle of the night to a phone call. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was an unlisted number. She groggily answered the phone.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Ashley, it's your mother." Ashley's mouth dropped open.

"What do you want?" Ashley hissed.

"Is that anyway to talk to your mother?" Christine yelled on the other line.

"A "mother" wouldn't kick her pregnant daughter out with no where else to go. A "mother" wouldn't lack to call her daughter after four and a half years. So I'm sorry that I don't treat my mother with respect."

"Ashley Marie Davies!"

"Goodbye, Mom." Ashley hung up and fell back asleep.

The next morning she glanced at her phone and realized she had three unread texts. She figured they were probably from her mom and as much as she didn't want to read them this second she figured she should get it out of the way.

She sat up and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. She opened her messages and saw that all three were from Spencer. It was a three page text message.

"Fuck." Ashley cursed to herself. She sighed and opened them.

_Hey Ash, about the other night… I don't think it was a great idea that we kissed. It's not that I didn't enjoy it because I did. It was great, but I don't think that it should have happened as fast and when it did. I think you're a great person with wonderful kids but I don't know if we can hang out like that again. I don't want to rush into anything.. sorry. _

Ashley gritted her teeth. She was pissed, not at Spencer, because she couldn't blame the girl for the actions that _she_had done. She was pissed at herself for not controlling herself like she should have around a girl that made that big of an impression on her.

Ashley looked at her clock and realized she forgot to set it last night. She was running late for work. She grabbed clothes and quickly dressed herself, running downstairs and into the kitchen she grabbed a granola bar for breakfast and wrote a note to her dad about not worrying about taking the twins to daycare if he was going to take them for the weekend. Raife was passed out on the couch, obviously not making it up to the guest room last night. Ashley laughed and left for work.

On the other side of town, Spencer Carlin was working on an article for the school paper. She was a media journalism major and she was a co-editor for the university paper. She was currently working on a filler piece about the new construction of a physics building. All that had been on her mind for the past day was the kiss with Ashley. It was amazing and she had never kissed someone with that much passion, yet so gentle at the same time.

Spencer was never one to kiss on the first date. She was a very shy person and didn't let people in that easily. Yet, it was different with Ashley. She was somehow super open with Ashley and was honest about her feelings towards the girl. She knew that she had feelings for the brunette, but she had gotten hurt in her past relationship and she didn't want to get hurt like that again.

As she finished up her article, the head editor came in to collect it. When he left Spencer logged into her email and sent her mom a quick email update, not a complete update of course, of her life.

**Hey Mom, **

** Just wanted to shoot you an email saying that I am enjoying my classes and job as an editor for the newspaper on campus. A copy of my recent article should be up on the website soon, so keep an eye out. Things are going great in LA, I met someone but I'll tell you about that as time goes on, seeing how things go. Hope Glen and you are doing well and things at the hospital are running smoothly. **

** Love you, **

** Spence**

Spencer hit the send button as her phone buzzed.

_Can we talk/study later ? - Ashley_

Thanks for reading! I'll update as soon as I can! (:


	6. Undeniable

**Hey there! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews for previous chapters. I'm back from vacation and only really had time to write this one chapter. But there will be more to come! I promise! Enjoy your holidays and this chapter ! **

Undeniable

Chapter Six

Ashley sat at her desk, twiddling her thumbs staring intensely at her phone. She had texted Spencer about twenty minutes ago and had still not received anything back. The brunette was anxious to smooth things over with the other girl and she wanted to see her soon. Her dad had taken Brooklyn and Ben for the weekend so that Ashley could study and not have to worry about distractions.

While she was still at work, Ashley could not wait until the weekend. Even if it would be filled with homework and studying for this test, she was looking forward to the break of no kids, not having to get up for work, and just taking care of her self. Ever since the twins were born life was always go, go, go. There was little time to rest and just take a short breather from the antics that life threw Ashley's way.

The girl got up from the desk that had her name plate on it and walked over to the water cooler in the hallway. She glanced at the clock that hung lonely on the wall and sighed. It was fifteen minutes until she could leave. She had finished all the important things that needed to get done, she scheduled two possible new clients to come in next week to go over their demo tapes and updated the computers new recording software. Her boss had already left for the day.

She made an executive decision; grabbing her purse and her keys off the hook, she locked up her office for the weekend and headed out the door. She glanced at her phone one more time before starting her car. She opened the message and smiled.

_Gray's for drinks? TGIF. – Spencer_

Ashley drove the fifteen minutes to the townhouse; she changed into a low cute black tank top and topped it with a white lace cardigan, her favorite jeans and her strappy black heels. She combed through her hair quickly and arrived at Gray's about ten minutes later. She walked in and found a spot at the bar, ordering a vodka and cranberry while waiting for the blonde to arrive. As she sipped, she saw the girl enter the building. She was wearing a blue tee shirt and a leather jacket over it, with a pair of jeans that hugged her in all the correct places.

"Hey." Ashley smiled as she handed Spencer the drink she ordered.

"Hey, thanks for coming." Spencer returned the smile and accepted the drink with a nod.

"Thanks for texting me back. I'm sorry about the other night. I got in over my head and didn't think about it."

"It's okay, let's just put it behind us. I didn't mind it; I just thought it was a little fast." Spencer nonchalantly moved towards Ashley and placed her hand over the other girls.

The two girls sat at the bar, occasionally getting up to dance, for about three hours. Ashley glanced at her watch and realized it was nine. Time had passed faster than usual, the brunette sighed. She knew she should get back to her apartment to study for this test, but she wanted to spend more time with Spencer.

"Follow me." Ashley smiled to Spencer. She got up and exited the building, leaving a fifty dollar bill on the bar. Spencer looked confused and Ashley couldn't help but laugh at her face. The two walked to Ashley's car and got in.

A short time later the two arrived at the pier, they got out and stepped foot onto the cold sand. The Los Angeles sun had gone down, done warming the infamous beach for the day. A shiver went up Spencer's spine and Ashley walked toward the girl, lending her a hand to step further down onto the beach.

The two walked in silence for a little bit, the cheers of people on the different rides on the pier could be heard in the back ground. The light from the moon illuminated Spencer's face, highlighting her cheekbones and her ice blue eyes. Ashley's heart began to race; she made a mental note to control her self this time. Instead of following her primal instincts, she moved her hand slowly to encompass the blonde's delicate hand that hung at her side. Spencer looked over and smiled sheepishly.

"I love the beach at night." Ashley simply stated, happy that now she was in some sort of contact with the blonde.

"Me too, you don't get this experience in Ohio…"

"Which one?"

"What?" Spencer asked confused.

"Holding my hand on a gorgeous night or the beach at night?" Ashley sarcastically answered.

"Both."

They continued to walk until the pier was just a flicker on the horizon. Spencer stopped and pulled Ashley's hand to sit down on the sand. The brunette followed the unspoken instructions and sat down, Spencer following suit and taking a seat next to her.

"What do you want to do with your life?" Spencer asked.

"Be happy…" Ashley reminiscently thought on the past events of her life, her mom kicking her out, giving birth to two beautiful children, and recently meeting Spencer.

"Care to elaborate?"

"I want to be a good mom, first and foremost. Eventually, I would like to own my own record company, I want to find music that changes people's lives; the lyrics that aren't just words, but that tell a story about heartbreak and finding someone to put the pieces back together. I want to find that someone that can pick the pieces back up." Ashley smiled to herself and looked over at Spencer whose eyes were glued to the horizon, she looked like she was deep in thought and not coming out of it anytime soon.

"What about you? What comes next?" The brunette turned the tables.

"I want to be a writer. I love to pour words out onto paper, they may not make sense to everyone, but as long as those words change at least one person's life – I'd be satisfied."

"Can I read something of yours?" Ashley asked. It may be a personal question but Ashley had a feeling that Spencer was tearing down some of the protective walls and slowly letting her in – to see the real Spencer.

"Yeah. I have my notebook in my car, when we go back to Gray's I'll show it to you." Spencer suggested. Ashley simply nodded and held onto the girl's hand. It was still warm for September in Los Angeles; the heat was getting to Ashley. She took the cardigan that covered her shoulders off and laid it down on the sand, laying her head down on top of it so she could gaze at the stars.

"Beautiful." Ashley whispered. Spencer looked behind her and saw the brunette lying down, she leaned back and lay down, resting her head next to Ashley's. There was now a combined mixture of blonde and brown hair beneath them. Time didn't matter right now, the moment between the two was indescribable. Any bystander wouldn't see any significance because of it, but the two women felt something inside them that stirred a spark of curiosity.

"Do you see those three stars in a row up there?" Spencer pointed to three stars that aligned together.

"Yeah. What's it called?" Ashley asked; astronomy was never her thing.

"It's called Orion's Belt. It's named after a warrior who tried to impress Artemis, the goddess. He killed all the animals on the island that the two were on, killing them all in Artemis' name, thinking it would make her fall in love with him. Artemis was pissed, so she had a giant scorpion kill Orion. She felt horrible afterwards and to try and make things better, she sent him to the sky." Spencer laughed nervously. "Sorry, my nerd is showing."

"I like it." Ashley smiled and squeezed Spencer's hand a little. She felt the blonde shiver again. "Do you wanna go somewhere warmer?" She asked.

"We can go back to my apartment… if you want." Spencer suggested. There was no sexual tie to that suggestion either.

"Okay." Ashley got up and helped Spencer off the sand. She grabbed her cardigan in one hand and Spencer's hand in the other. They made their way back to Ashley's car, making a small detour to Gray's to get Spencer's car and then headed towards the blonde's apartment.

They entered the small one bedroom apartment; it was neat and kept together. There was a beautiful brick fireplace in the corner of the living room and a small red micro fiber couch angled around it. A small TV sat on an old end table in the center of the wall, where pictures of family and friends hung in frames above it. Spencer flipped a lamp switch on and the room lightened up quickly.

"Would you like something to drink?" Spencer offered while walking to the kitchen straight ahead. "I've got beer, wine, water, and orange juice."

"I'll take a beer." Ashley smiled as the other girl handed her a can. They walked back into the living room and sat on the red couch. Ashley grabbed a picture off the end table. The picture seemed to be taken at a family event, there were six people in the picture, and Ashley recognized one as a young Spencer, maybe about 14 or 15.

"Who are these people?" she asked the blonde as she took a sip of the beer that was chilled in her hand.

"This was taken at my brother's graduation party. The blonde guy is Glen, my brother, he's twenty three now. He joined the military straight out of high school and is now a Marine. He's over in Iraq right now." She paused for a moment and continued. "The black guy," She laughed. "is my brother Clay."

"I can see the resemblance." Ashley joked smiling at the girl.

"I know right! Well, Clay was adopted when I was four. My dad was his social worker and he came from a tough background. Dad left, mom died from drug overdose, my dad connected with him and brought him home, and he just sort of stayed around." Spencer pointed to a young girl; she looked to be about Spencer's age, blonde hair and green eyes. "That's Chloe."

"And she is…?" Ashley trailed off.

"My first girlfriend." Spencer stated bluntly. "My family didn't and still doesn't know, I mean my mom doesn't know. She and I were best friends from the age of seven up until last year. We were in all the same classes, liked all the same things, we hung out all the time. She came out to me when we were fourteen. I told her I had feelings for her and she didn't say much. She kissed me. My first kiss." Spencer took a moment to wipe her eyes from forming premature tears.

"You don't have to-"Ashley started.

"It's okay." Spencer smiled. "She was amazing. We started dating that same month, on and off for four years. We saw other people, boys included, but we kept coming back to each other. It's like we were drawn together. Senior year came, and college acceptance letters did too. She was so smart; she pretty much had her pick of colleges. She chose MIT, in Boston. She moved, we slowly grew apart and one day the texts, emails, even pokes on Facebook stopped coming."

"I'm sorry Spence." Ashley put an arm around the blonde as tears started forming in her eyes.

"It's okay, I've moved on and I know she has." Spencer smiled. "You grow up and you grow apart right?"

Ashley nodded, '_you sure do_' she thought to herself.

Spencer had lit a fire in the fireplace and the two girls sat on that same couch, in the same position for another three hours. They sat in silence sometimes, played with each others hands, talked about relationships and family life and what they wanted out of the future.

Occasionally they would flip through channels on TV to find that nothing was on. Spencer and Ashley sat slightly cuddled on the couch, Ashley had her arms around Spencer's waist as Spencer sat in between Ashley's legs.

"Favorite color?" Ashley randomly asked.

"Blue, I always look good in any blue piece of clothing." Spencer laughed. "Favorite vacation spot?"

"Hawaii, the secluded beaches were it seems no one has ever been before. It's like I'm a pirate finding a new island to discover." Ashley smiled, holding up her hand with a hooked finger and one eye closed. "What's your number?" she asked, pushing the comfort level a bit.

"What number?" Spencer asked clueless as to what Ashley was talking about.

"The number of people you have slept with, silly."

"Oh.." Spencer laughed. "Two." She held up two fingers and winked. "Yours?"

"Four." Ashley shyly looked away. She was a party girl in high school until her kids, but she never slept with people she didn't know. If anything she would only kiss them, things never went farther than that though.

There was a comfort between the two girls. An unspoken calm flooded over the room as they sat in quiet silence, it was only occasionally disturbed by the crackling of the fireplace. The smiles on their faces hadn't left that place the entire night that they spent together. Ashley was thankful that Spencer had answered her text message from earlier and Spencer was glad that she decided to give Ashley another chance.

Ashley yawned and stretched her arms above her head. She knew she should probably head home but she didn't want to. She didn't want this night to end just yet, or ever for that matter. The miniature grandfather clock on the mantle struck one a.m. and Spencer struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Let's head to bed." She stated looked at Ashley with wandering eyes.

"Let's?" Ashley reiterated.

"Just sleeping." Spencer confirmed. The brunette nodded and followed the other girl into her room. Spencer pulled out a tee shirt and shorts for Ashley and some for herself as well. They climbed into Spencer's queen sized bed and laid in silence for a few minutes.

"Thanks for tonight, Ashley." Spencer whispered so it was just audible for the brunette to hear.

"For what?"

"For listening and talking."

"Anytime. It was a great night." Ashley smiled as she reached under the covers and grabbed Spencer's hand. Squeezing it as if to say 'Good Night'. The two girls fell asleep, hand in hand, smiles on their faces, and the promise of a night like this again soon. 


	7. Count on Me

**Hi there(: sorry for the lack of updates lately. Things with the holidays and family and time that I don't have I got pretty busy; but I'm back and ready to ring in the New Year with a new update. **

Count On Me

Chapter Seven

Ashley awoke to a sizzling sound coming from outside the room, she turned over onto her side and felt a cold spot on the mattress where Spencer's body had been hours earlier. Ashley hadn't gotten that good of a rest in a few months, she felt relaxed. She didn't have to worry about anything today. She _should _get a start on studying but the distraction of Spencer and spending time with her weighed more on Ashley's decisions.

The brunette slowly rolled out of bed, she slipped her socks on from the night before and made her way out to the kitchen. Stumbling into the kitchen, Ashley saw the beautiful blonde she had spent the night with standing over the stove in a t-shirt and underwear. Ashley leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms and smiling; she watched Spencer dance around to silent music singing into the spatula that she used as a makeshift microphone.

"That's cute, Spence." Ashley smiled as she got up from her position against the door frame and walked over to the fridge.

"How long have you been standing there watching me?" Spencer asked, blushing at the embarrassment that she was currently facing.

"Long enough." Ashley laughed as she grabbed a bottle of water and sipped on the bottle.

Spencer's cheeks were now red and she flipped what she was cooking onto a plate that rested on the counter. Ashley leaned over and saw that it was an omelet that looked to have mushrooms and chives in it. She raised her eyebrows and smiled at the blonde.

"Do you treat all your guests like this?" She asked.

"Only the special ones, the ones I really like." Spencer teased as she handed Ashley the plate and grabbed her own, along with another omelet off the counter. They sat at the tiny table that sat under the window. The small window overlooked the LA skyline, which was beautiful right about now. The sun was rising, creating a fiery red and pink color in the sky.

The two girls sat down and enjoyed each others company, just relaxing in the silence and the promise of a free and open Saturday where neither had to worry about school, classes, nor working.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Spencer asked, looking into Ashley's eyes. They seemed like they held so much information, so many feelings that Ashley wasn't letting loose. Spencer understood what it was like to be hurt and not able to fully put the wall down; she just wanted Ashley to let her in. They had gotten pretty deep the night before while at the beach, but Spencer knew there were still things that Ashley wasn't telling her.

"Hanging out, I get the kids back at 4 when my dad has to go into the studio." Ashley nodded while taking a bite of her omelet.

"Fun, so does their dad try and be in their lives at all or is he a "shoot and leave" kinda guy?" Spencer asked. She hoped that the way in which she asked wasn't too blunt, but she wanted to know.

"He didn't try when they were born; when I called and told him their names and that they were healthy he completely ignored me and hasn't been in their lives since." Ashley replied softly as her eyes melted down onto the table. She picked at a rough piece of wood on the table in front of her and rested her chin on her palm.

Spencer shook her blonde locks at the story and sighed. She couldn't imagine not having her father in her life. He was her rock, and the only guy that would tell her the complete and honest truth without breaking her heart completely. She knew Ashley's dad would be there for the kids, but kids shouldn't have to have their father ripped away from them, especially voluntarily.

"Anyways.." Spencer sighed, attempting to change the subject. She though back to the night before. She has woken up in the middle of the night to Ashley's arm slung over her own waist. She pressed up against the other girl, feeling Ashley's torso pressed up into her own back. Spencer felt odd; she had never done something like this without fear being embedded into the back of her mind.

In high school she had to hide these feelings, from her parents at least. She and Chloe always claimed they were having innocent sleepovers until the lights in her parents room went off and things became heated on Spencer's small twin bed. She missed waking up with someone next to her.

"What are you thinking about?" Ashley inquired, noticing that the blonde seemed to be in another world all together.

"Chloe…" Spencer trailed off. Ashley's facial expression changed and Spencer laughed. "Not like that, just of how I missed having someone to wake up too. But I liked waking up next to you this morning."

Ashley nodded and smiled, silently agreeing with the other girl. "Can I ask you something, Spencer?" Spencer nodded as she took a sip of her orange juice that sat on the table in front of her.

"Who were your two?" Ashley vaguely asked.

"Two what?"

"The two people you've had sex with?" Ashley bluntly asked. If Ashley was known for anything it was first, her rock hard abs, and second, her ability to be super blunt.

"Chloe and Ryan." Spencer smiled as if she was reminiscing on memories. "Chloe, you know, but Ryan was my first serious boyfriend. I guess you could say that I wanted to try both cakes to see which one I liked better."

"And the verdict is?" Ashley lead.

"I think I like the pink cake better than the blue one." Spencer laughed. The fact that she was being this open with Ashley showed her vulnerability in this situation. She was comfortable around the brunette and she was willing to joke but still be super deep and have meaningful conversations with her.

"I'm glad." Ashley smiled. Her hand hovered over Spencer's as if she was mentally deciding on whether or not to make the move.

"Me too." Spencer said, placing her other hand above Ashley's and making a sandwich out of the three hands that sat on the table.

The two girls finished their breakfast and each individually showered, much to Ashley's disappointment. It's not like you could blame the girl, she had pretty much been bone dry for three years.

While Spencer was finishing blowdrying her hair in the bathroom, Ashley's phone rang. She looked at the called ID and once again did not recognize it. She hoped it wasn't her mom as she answered with "This is Ashley."

"Hi Ashley. It's Aiden." Said a male voice on the other line.

"Aiden…?" Ashley questioned.

There was a long and awkward sigh on the other end of the telephone call. Spencer entered the room and saw the look on Ashley's face. She mouthed 'everything okay?' to Ashley and all the brunette did was shrug.

"Dennison." And that was it.

"Aiden? You call me after three fucking years of leaving me alone with YOUR children?"

"Listen, Ash-"

"No, Aiden! You listen. You left me with two of the most precious things in my life. You don't call, send letters, or even child support. You **left**."

"I know. I was just a kid though Ashley. I didn't know what the hell to do with the announcement of 'hey, by the way, your girlfriend is pregnant, with twins no less'!"

Spencer could see that Ashley was upset. The brunette hung up the phone and threw the cell phone to the other side of the bed. She crossed her arms and brought her legs up to her chest.

"Ash.." Spencer quietly soothed the brunette as she walked over to the other side of the room and sat next to her. They sat in silence as Ashley tried to digest the phone call she had just received.

Four o'clock rolled around and Ashley had left Spencer's to head to her dad's to pick up the twins. When she finally got there, there was lots of talk of the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie that the twins had seen, along with putt-putting and going to the zoo. Ashley loved her dad for supporting her and her kids, she knew that one day she would have to buck up and do it all on her own. She also knew that it would be a lot easier with two sets of hands as opposed to just one set.

When she got the twins back to her townhouse, she got them fed and let them go off and do their own thing. She scrolled through the contacts in her phone, stopping on her mother, Christine. She pressed the green button and heard the dial tone begin to ring on the other line.

"Hey mom." Ashley shakily spoke into the phone.

"Hello, Ashley. What can I help you with?" Christine responded.

"You're the one that called me."

"I wanted to call to see if there was anyway of me seeing my grandchildren any time soon?"

Ashley was taken aback by the proposal that was just made by her mother. She didn't quite know how to answer.

"Uhm, soon?" Ashley quickly replied. "We'll be in touch mom." With that, Ashley hung up the phone and shook her head back into her reality. That was the most awkward telephone conversation of her life.

**BLAH! So sorry it's so short, and so little Spashley. This was more or less a filler chapter. Classes start back up tomorrow, and that seems when my muse always comes, when I don't actually have time to write. But I'll try and get something out shortly! Thank you all for the reviews and the encouragement to keep writing !**


	8. Nothing to Lose

Nothing Left to Lose

Chapter Eight

Small footsteps pattered across the hardwood floors of the upstairs bedrooms. Ashley hadn't slept well at all that night compared to the night before. Those footsteps made their way into Ashley's room and into her bed.

"Momma!" Ben jumped up and down on the queen sized bed, anxiously waiting for his mom to answer his request. Ashley rolled over from her stomach to her back and slowly opened her eyes, her son and daughter coming in to clear view.

"Yes, baby?" She smiled, pulling him down and sitting him next to her.

"Why didn't you wake us up?" Ben asked. Brooklyn nodded as she sucked her thumb on the edge of the bed; she wasn't a morning person like her brother and definitely took after her mother in that aspect.

"I thought I would let you guys sleep in." Ashley smiled as she pulled the little girl onto her lap, playing with Brooklyn's hair as she did so.

"Are we going to daycare?" Brooklyn asked as she looked up into her mother's matching brown eyes.

"I was going to see if I could work at home today and maybe we can go see a movie or go to the park." Ashley suggested. The twins' eyes lit up in excitement at the mention of a day with their mom. Ashley knew that she hadn't been spending as much time as she used to with the two of them, and she did feel bad about it. She wanted her kids to have at least one parent present in their life.

"Momma.. I have a question. The other day, on the playground, Kyle was talking about his mommy and daddy. Do we have a daddy?" Ben asked. He sat down in front of his mom and sister and waited for an answer to the question Ashley had been hoping wouldn't come for a while.

"Yes, Baby, you do." Ashley nodded; she reached over to her nightstand and pulled out a scrapbook from high-school. She opened it to a page with a picture of her and Aiden. He was standing behind her with his hands wrapped around her waist.

"That's our daddy?" Brooklyn asked, pointing at the picture.

"Yep."

"Where did he go?" Ben sighed.

"That's a good question. He isn't around here anymore." Ashley lied. She didn't want to give the twins false hope about their dad coming around anytime soon. The two seemed somewhat satisfied with that answer and left the room in a chatter about their school friends. Ashley sighed and sat back on her bed, wondering what could have been.

A few hours later, the kids were playing on the swing set at the park while Ashley sat on a bench nearby and watched. She was reading her history book and trying to take in the information she was reading opposed to the thoughts she was thinking.

"Hey stranger." Ashley heard a familiar voice coming from in front of her. She looked up and shielded her eyes from the blaring noon sun.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Ashley smiled at the blonde as she sat down on the bench.

"Just walking. You hanging out creeping on kids?"

"Oh yeah, all day." Ashley bantered playfully. Spencer scooted closer to Ashley. Brooklyn yelled from a distance away for her mom to watch her jump off the swing. The mother focused her attention on her daughter, although it was hard to pull her eyes away from the blonde beauty.

"Very good Brookey!" Ashley yelled back, waving at the little one.

"How is your day going?" Spencer asked, placing her hand on top of Ashley's thigh.

"It just got a little better. My mom called, she wants to see the kids; and then Aiden called and he wants to see them too." Ashley shook her head.

"That's rough." Spencer silently commented.

"It just sucks. They have both been out of my life for three years and now all of a sudden they want back in. They left because of the kids, because of my stupid decision. I mean- don't get me wrong- I love my kids to death. I just wish they would have come a little later in life with someone more important than Aiden…" Ashley scoffed and ran her hand through her curly hair. She leaned her head back on the bench and closed her eyes, allowing the sun to warm her body. She looked up to make sure her kids were okay and turned her attention back to Spencer.

"I understand where you're coming from, but wouldn't it be nice to have their father in their life again?" She suggested. "I mean, it may free up some of your responsibilities, lift a little weight off your shoulders."

Ashley shrugged, she wanted to let Aiden back in to Brooklyn and Ben's life, she just didn't want him to leave and for them to get hurt. Those kids, although they weren't aware of all they had gone through didn't need anymore hurt.

"And as for your mom, give her like a trial run. Hang out with her with the kids and see how she approaches and acts around them and then go from there."

The brunette smiled at the girl and placed a caring hand over the one Spencer had on her thigh. Ashley nodded and felt a small sense of peace come over her. Spencer may not be a mother, but she had some good ideas.

The afternoon passed and Ashley and Spencer went their separate ways.

Spencer arrived back at her condo while the sun was setting. She thought back on the day and the conversation she had with Ashley. She was glad that she could help her friend out. Was that all that Ashley was though, just a friend? Spencer knew that there was something different about the brunette and she knew that the feelings were not strictly those of a friend-like relationship. Spencer hadn't been in a real relationship since Chloe. Even though it was only four years ago that things had ended, it still felt like a whole different lifetime to Spencer.

_Do you wanna grab lunch tomorrow.. talk about a few things? – S_

Spencer smiled and placed her phone on it's charger. She showered quickly and climbed into bed in a pair of boyshorts and a tank top. She checked her phone but had nothing back yet.

Ashley was currently rubbing Brooklyn's back as the little girl profusely threw up into a bucket. Ashley couldn't handle puke on most occasions but Brooklyn was crying so hard she couldn't not help. Ashley pulled the little girl's hair back and handed her a water bottle, telling her daughter to swish out her mouth and spit. Brooklyn obeyed and said that she thought she was done throwing up.

Ashley nodded and carried the little girl into her room, telling Ben to go climb into Ashley's bed. The brunette slowly rubbed the little girl's back until she fell asleep. She placed another bucket by the bedside just in case. As she exited the room, she left the bedroom door open so she could hear if anything happened. She entered her own room where she found her little boy flipping through channels, stopping on 'Transformers II'. Ashley smiled.

"You can watch for a little while, then to sleep." Ashley instructed and Ben nodded at his mother's command. Ashley picked up her phone and smiled at the text message that popped up on the screen.

_Brooklyn is sick. Want to bring over something and we can eat here so I can keep an eye on her? – xx Ash_

Ben quickly fell asleep in the middle of the bed, forcing Ashley to maneuver her way around him to get comfortable. Spencer had responded with a simple smiley face and Ashley fell asleep with her a smile on her own face.

**SOOOO SORRY! ): it's been too long since ive updated and I'm sorry! I was so super busy this semester but my classes are over as of tomorrow morning and I am taking a lighter load of classes over the summer. I hope you enjoyed the short short short update. **

_Coming Soon: Spencer admits her true feelings and hesitations about Ashley. Aiden pops into the picture, as does Christine. _


	9. Can't Break Her Fall

Can't Break Her Fall

Chapter Nine

The loud noise of the alarm clock blared in Ashley's ear, persistent that she woke up on time. The brunette rolled over and hit the 'snooze' button and allowed herself an extra seven minutes before sitting up in bed. Ben was cuddled up in her side with his tiny arm wrapped around his mother's waist. Ashley didn't want to wake him up just yet. She gently lifted his arm and got out of bed, placing his arm back down over a pillow. She trudged into Brooklyn's room to see how the little girl was feeling.

"Morning Pretty Girl." Ashley rubbed the young one's back. Brooklyn stirred and her big brown eyes fluttered open.

"Hi Momma." She groggily replied.

"How are you feeling?" Ashley asked, squatting down next to the bed.

"Better. My tummy still hurts a little bit." The girl answered.

"Good, well I don't want you to get the other kids at school sick so you're going to stay home today, okay?"

Brooklyn nodded and closed her eyes, wanting more sleep. Ashley smiled and left the room, cracking the door incase her daughter needed something. Entering her own room once again, she woke her little boy.

"Benny. Wake up." Ashley whispered. The boy flipped his head the opposite way as if to use his actions to "snooze" on his mother's alarm-like voice. Ashley gathered an outfit for Ben for daycare and let Brooklyn sleep for a bit longer.

Ben had been dropped off at daycare and Brooklyn was camped out on the couch with crackers and gingerale with Dora on the TV. Ashley texted Spencer to come over whenever with whatever she wanted for lunch. The brunette began to get butterflies in her stomach, she didn't understand why. She had been with Spencer for the past few days and didn't go more than two days without seeing the blonde with the beautiful eyes.

_Panera okay? I'm headed over shortly.. xx S_

Ashley's phone buzzed and she quickly responded back to Spencer.

_Perfect. Can't wait to see you. xo Ash_

Ashley peered into the living room from her homework spot at the kitchen table to check on Brooklyn. She saw the little girl sleeping on the couch. She got up and picked up the curly haired girl and took her upstairs to sleep in her bed. Ashley was silently thankful for sleep overtaking her daughter. She wanted her to feel better but also wanted to be able to talk to Spencer.

The blonde's text message last night mentioned that Spencer had some things on her mind that she wanted to Ashley to know about. There was a quick knock on the front door and Ashley opened it, allowing her guest into the house.

"Thanks for coming over, she got sick so suddenly last night and I didn't want to take her to daycare today just in case." Ashley smiled as she walked into the kitchen so the two could eat their lunch. She grabbed her wallet and took out a few bills and passed them Spencer's way to repay her for lunch.

"My treat." Spencer smiled while handing the cash back. Ashley hesitated and took the cash back. "And it's no problem. Is Brooklyn feeling better?" the blonde asked.

"A little bit. She says she still has a stomach ache and she doesn't want to eat anything." Ashley informed the other girl. They sat down and unwrapped their salads and soups. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Spencer took a breath in and looked at the brunette square in the eye, her own blue eyes matching Ashley's chocolate ones. "Well…" She began. She was nervous and didn't want to open any doors that weren't ready to be opened between the two of them.

"Spence, it's okay." Ashley assured the blonde.

"Alright. I think we've become pretty close even though we've only known each other for a few weeks. It's weird, there's something different about you Ashley Davies." Spencer smiled, she continued on. "You're a great person and I feel like I can be my true self with you, you won't judge me because of who I am or what I've done. I like that. I feel comfortable around you."

Ashley nodded, "I feel comfortable around you too, Spence. What's going through your head?"

"I think I like you in more than a friendly way." Spencer finally spit out. Ashley was slightly taken aback by the girl's response, but she agreed to herself.

"The last person I felt like this around was Chloe, she felt safe. She felt like home." Spencer confessed. It was a big step for her in her book, she didn't like to be vulnerable around people, but she knew deep down that Ashley wasn't going to take advantage of that.

"I like you in more than a friend way too, Spencer." Ashley smiled and moved her hand over Spencer's. She gave it a small squeeze and looked at the girl in the eyes.

"I don't want to jump into anything too fast though. I don't want to get hurt again."

"I understand, and I don't want to hurt you. I don't think I will either." Ashley assured Spencer.

There was a relieved tension in the air that cleared after the girls put their feelings out onto the table. They ate their lunch in peace, both with smiles on their faces.

Spencer left a few hours after, growing some balls and kissing Ashley before she walked out the door. Ashley was on cloud nine right now. Her questions with Spencer had been answered and she didn't think anything could bring her down from the high she was on right now. She was torn out of her dream land by her cell phone ringing. She looked at the called ID and rolled her eyes.

'Christine Davies' is what it read. Ashley groaned as she grabbed her phone.

"Hello?" She answered with a tone of hostility.

"Ashley, it's your mother."

"I saw the caller ID, Christine." Ashley refused to call her mother 'mom' after everything that the two of them had been through.

"Ashley, your attitude…" Christine seemed to catch herself. Ashley knew that the woman was trying to make things better between the two of them and chastising Ashley was not going to help.

"What do you want?" Ashley asked bluntly.

"I wanted to take you out to lunch. We should really talk about some things." Ashley was shocked at what she had just heard from the other side of her telephone. Christine was always one to run from her problems, hence kicking Ashley out and not having to deal with the pregnancy of her teenage daughter.

"Uhm.. When?" Ashley asked.

"Does Thursday work?" Christine answered on the other line.

"Yeah, around three?"

"Yes, that sounds fine."

"See you then, Christine." Ashley hung up the phone and groaned. She didn't know how to handle things with her mom just yet. She was still hesitant after Christine kicked her ass to the curb. Ashley couldn't help but wonder what Christine wanted to talk about, she was sure that her mother would apologize for leaving her on her own as a single teenaged mother.

The days seemed to pass quicker and Spencer and Ashley had spent at least some time together everyday this week. Thursday quickly approached. Ashley was strung out on trying to find someone to watch the twins. Her father had been called out to New York for a promotional meeting for the band's upcoming tour, Chelsea was at work and Ashley didn't want to take the kids to day care for only an hour. There was some hesitation in Ashley's mind of what she was about to do.

She dialed her phone to the all familiar number of her high school years. It rang twice before there was a voice on the other end.

"Do you want to watch them?" Ashley simply asked, not bothering with pleasantries.

"Yes. Today?" the male voice answered.

"Yes, Aiden. I need you to watch them for an hour. Don't fuck this up." She told him sternly.

"Alright Ash. I'll be over soon."

"I need you here at eleven. I have lunch plans with my mom and I'll be home after."

"Alright." Aiden hung up on the other line and Ashley let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know if she could trust Aiden with the twins just yet. She didn't have any other choices. She would ask Spencer, the kids loved her, but she didn't want to move things too fast. They were good right now, and Ashley didn't want to mess that up.

**Sorry it's so short! I wanted to get something out because it's been like a month since I updated. I'm sorry about the wait and I'm going to start updating weekly. Every Monday or Tuesday, depending on my work schedule, there should be a new chapter up!(: ENJOY THIS ONE! **

**Review and let me know what you guys think. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I write more! haha**


	10. Here We Go

**You guys have every right to hate me ): I am soo sorry I haven't updated in so long, things have been hectic, but here it is, Chapter Ten. Winter Break is coming up and I promise there will be updates coming shortly!**

Chapter Ten  
>Here We Go<p>

Ashley checked herself in the mirror one last time, her eyes dashed to the clock on the wall, Aiden was supposed to be here ten minutes ago. She grabbed her phone and called him once again, it went straight to voicemail. Ashley groaned and threw the cell phone on the bed. She ran her fingers through her hair and bit her lower lip in frustration. One thing, he only had to do one thing and he couldn't even do that.

The brunette walked out of her room and into Ben and Brooklyn's room; the twins were playing with their remote controlled cars when Ashley interrupted them.

"Hey guys, get your shoes on, you're going to come to lunch with mommy and Christine." Ashley refused to call Christine 'grandma' right now, that's what this lunch was supposed to be all about, figuring out how Christine could make her way back into Ashley's life as well as the twins. The kids obeyed their mother promptly as Ashley headed downstairs. She grabbed some coloring books for the twins and stuffed them into a large purse.

She heard little footsteps stomping down the stairs and two little bodies waiting for her at the bottom of them. Ashley gathered the troops and headed out the door. She opened a new text message and sent one to Spencer:

_Aiden bailed, big surprise. Taking kids to lunch with me and my mom, wish me luck! Xx A_

She smiled as she loaded the kids in the car and headed off towards the restaurant that she was meeting her mother at. She found that Christine was already there, but she only had a table for two.

"Ashley, I thought Aiden was watching the kids?" Christine asked.

"Yeah, me too. He never showed up, so I had to bring them with me. Is that okay?" Ashley asked, not really caring what her mother's opinion on the matter was.

"Absolutely, gives me a chance to get to know them a little bit." Christine smiled. She then flagged down a server and got a larger table. Ashley and Ben sat on one side and Christine an Brooklyn sat on the other. Ashley pulled out the coloring books and crayons for the kids and they kept themselves occupied.

"So I just have to ask mom, why did you kick me out? I was seventeen and single, with no support from my boyfriend and none at home. What did you think I was going to do?" Ashley got straight to the point.

"Ashley, I'm not going to make excuses. I was being irrational and stubborn. I didn't want you to live that way and I figured if I threatened to kick you out, you would go the adoption route. I wanted so much more for you."

"I have more though mom. I have a wonderful job with two amazing kids and a life that I am proud of. I'm just lucky dad was there to help out. Why weren't you?" Ashley asked again, she couldn't imagine, as a mother, kicking her daughter out onto the streets with no source of support.

"I don't know. I was being selfish." Christine admitted. She solemnly sipped at her water and looked Ashley in the eyes. "I'm hoping you give me another chance though, for me to show you that I can be a good mom and a good grandmother."

Ashley nodded, not saying anything. She could tell her mother was being sincere and really did want another chance.

"It's not gunna happen right away. I mean I'll try just as much as you will, but I don't want you getting overly involved because I'm not ready for that yet." Ashley said honestly. Christine just nodded.

"So how is school going? Any new boys?"

"Tell her about Spencer momma!" Bed interjected while not looking up from his coloring book.

"Who's Spencer?" Christine asked with a smile.

"Uhm, Spencer is an interest…" Ashley trailed off.

"Spencer's pretty too!" Brooklyn smiled looking up at Christine and nodding.

"Is Spencer a boy?" Christine asked. This was a conversation Ashley was not expecting to have today. To Christine's knowledge Ashley was still attracted to guys, she didn't know the big bad lesbian secret yet.

"No mom, Spencer is a girl." Ashley said calmly, waiting for Christine's reaction.

"Oh… well that's nice. Is she nice?"

"Yes, and she treats me right and she is in love with Ben and Brooklyn already." Ashley smiled, this day might just make a turnaround for the better. The four of the finished up lunch and went their separate ways, Ashley said that they would get lunch again soon and Christine offered to watch the kids for a night so Ashley and Spencer could go out. Ashley was pretty satisfied with the way that things went at lunch. On the way home she checked her phone, two missed calls and five new messages.

The two missed calls were from Aiden, profusely apologizing saying he wasn't ready to be in the kids' lives. Ashley wasn't going to say that it was his last chance, but in her eyes it was. The kids would always have a say in if they wanted to see their father, but if it was up to Ashley, she was done. The text messages were from Spencer and Raife.

_Good luck Ash! Call me when you get home (: xx S_

_You're having lunch with your mom today right? – Dad_

Ashley responded back to her father's text and dialed Spencer's number. She waited two rings and then blonde picked up.

"Hey! How was lunch?" Spencer greeted.

"Well, unexpected turn of events… Aiden bailed so I had to take the kids with me, which was good, but they outed me to my mom." Ashley laughed.

"What?!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Yeah, they told me to tell my mom about Spencer, she thought you were a guy, and so I had to tell her, but she took it better than I expected."

"Well that's good news. What are you doing now?"

"Heading home with the twins, wanna come over? I miss you." Ashley smiled, hoping she didn't sound too cheezy.

"Yeah, I'll head over now." Spencer smiled. The two hung up and later met at Ashley's house. They played with the twins for a while, when dinner time rolled around they ate like a family around the dinner table, Ashley and Spencer bathed the twins and put them to bed and retreated down to the living room. As they cuddled on the couch, Spencer thought to herself that she liked playing house with Ashley. It was second nature and she felt at home.

Ashley wrapped her arm around the blonde, "What are you thinking about?" she asked sweetly.

"You, and how easy this is." Spencer smiled as her blue orbs met the brown ones of the girl she was quickly falling for.

"Yeah?" Ashley asked rhetorically. Spencer nodded and rested her head in the crook of the brunette's neck.

"So I have to go to work in the morning, but do you wanna spend the night?" Ashley asked. She didn't want the blonde to feel pressured into anything she was uncomfortable with, but she secretly hoped that Spencer wouldn't hesitate and she would stay. Spencer looked at Ashley and smiled, that was all Ashley needed.

She leaned in closer to Spencer, placing her and on the back of the blonde's neck she pulled her in closer as well. Their lips met and Ashley might as well have turned into mush. It was a soft yet sensual kiss, one that Ashley had not experienced yet. Spencer opened her mouth and her tongue teased its way into Ashley's mouth. They began to fight for dominance while still taking things slow.

Spencer placed her hands on Ashley's waist, pressing her body into the brunette's. A slight moan escaped from Ashley's lips and she could feel Spencer smile through the kiss. Spencer reached up and ran her fingers through the brunette tresses and left her hands at the nape of Ashley's neck. Ashley did the same and the two parted ways for a breath.

"Wow." Ashley smiled, Spencer blushed slightly and rested her hand on Ashley's thigh. She cuddled into the brunette as Ashley pulled a blanket over the two of them. They cuddled for a while and Spencer fell asleep in Ashley's arms. That was a feeling that Ashley would trade almost anything to feel all the time.


	11. Closer to Love

Chapter Eleven

Closer to Love

Slowly after Spencer had drifted off to sleep, Ashley's eyelids began to feel heavy. She didn't mind sleeping on the couch, but her bed was much comfier. She played with Spencer's hair, trying to wake the blonde up lightly.

"Spence, let's go to bed upstairs." She whispered softly into the other girl's ear. Spencer mumbled something and nodded her head, moving her body off of Ashley's. The two walked upstairs hand in hand. Ashley peaked into the twins' room to make sure they were still sleeping and then continued on to her room. She changed into a black t-shirt and handed Spencer one as well.

"Do you want sleep shorts?" Ashley asked. Spencer simply shook her head as she undressed in front of the brunette. Ashley could feel herself getting warm as her brown orbs made their way across the blonde's nearly perfect body. _Stop it Davies! Take it slow with her._

Spencer could feel Ashley's eyes on her as she changed. _Nice to know I still got it._ Spencer smirked to herself as she climbed in on the opposite side of Ashley. She rolled over and gave Ashley a sweet kiss on the lips.

"G'night Beautiful." Ashley smiled as she prolonged the kiss a little bit longer.

"Goodnight Ash." Spencer grinned as she settled in as the little spoon against Ashley. The two slowly drifted off to sleep and their breathing patterns matched each other's. Ashley usually tossed and turned in her sleep, but tonight, for the first time in a while, she slept safe and soundly.

The light made its way through the cracks in the wooden blinds. As Spencer rolled over onto her side, she noticed Ashley was still sleeping. She slowly got out of bed, slipped her shorts on from the day before and made her way out of the bedroom.

Spencer peaked into the twins room and noticed that they were playing with their Legos quietly.

"Hey guys, you wanna help me make a surprise for your mom?" Spencer asked the duo excitedly.

"Yeah!" Ben and Brooklyn replied, both with matching grins on their faces. Spencer motioned for them to come downstairs with her. The three made their way downstairs and Spencer set them up in the kitchen. After raiding the pantry, Spencer decided on chocolate chip pancakes and bacon.

"Who wants to help me mix the pancake batter?" Spencer asked. "One of you can do the pancake batter, the other can drop the chocolate chips in." She offered.

"I wanna make the pancakes!" Ben raised his hand. Spencer nodded and helped him up on the chair that was set next to the counter. She measured the water and allowed the little boy to pour the water into the easy mix pancake batter. Spencer called Brooklyn over and the little girl, whose hair was still disheveled from sleep, added the chocolate chips to the batter.

"You guys are professionals at this!" Spencer complimented. She knew that Ashley would probably wake up soon, and she wanted to have breakfast ready. The blonde told the kids to go watch cartoons while she made the bacon and finished the pancakes.

Eventually, when the pancakes and bacon were ready to go, Spencer heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"What is this?" The brunette asked as she placed kisses on the heads of her babies. She walked over to Spencer and took a look at what the blonde was putting the finishing touches on.

"Breakfast Momma!" Brooklyn smiled.

"We helped Miss Spencer make it for you!" Ben piped up as he jumped on the couch in excitement.

"It's all for me?! So I don't have to share?" Ashley teased. She motioned for Ben to sit down on the couch.

"No Momma! It's for all of us!" Ben beamed.

"Oooh. So I have to share it with all of you?" Ashley asked as her eyes darted from her kids to the beautiful girl she had slept next to.

"Yes!" Brooklyn smiled as a matter of factly. Ashley laughed as the four of them sat at the table and enjoyed their breakfast. Spencer helped clean up, much to Ashley's annoyance, and then she left. The two had made plans to hang out later that day, Spencer needed to get some things done.

Ashley smiled at her children, who were sticky from the syrup they coated their pancakes with. After cleaning up the kids a bit, she sent them to color while she attempted to work a little from home. There wasn't much to be done. Her boss was out of town and she had given Ashley strict orders to enjoy time with her kids.

Ashley smiled as she watched her children color, not so neatly, in their coloring books. Her mind wandered to the night before. This thing she had with Spencer was really throwing her off. She didn't know if the two were exclusive, not that Ashley had any other suitors knocking on her door.

It was the first time in a while that Ashley had been truly happy. She was always happy with her kids, but Spencer made the picture complete. The two had only known each other for a few weeks, but Ashley felt like she knew so much about the blonde already. Spence opened up to her about things with Chloe, her mom, and her family.

Ashley found it easy to open up to her as well. She hadn't told anyone about Aiden, or lack thereof, in a really long time. Spencer was the first person that Ashley let around her kids, and she didn't even have to think twice about it. This morning was the icing on the cake for Ashley. Not only had the blonde made her breakfast, again, but she included the kids.

Ashley came back down from dream world when she heard her phone vibrate. She began to beam as she read the name.

**Park? Aquarium? Beach day? Xo – Spence**

_Beach day with the kids sounds fantastic. Let me get them ready. Pick you up in 45? – A_

**Sounds wonderful ;) –Spence **

"Who wants to go to the beach with momma and Spencer?" Ashley asked her rugrats. Ben and Brooklyn both jumped up and down, begging to go. "Well then go get your bathing suits on!" Ashley laughed as the two ran upstairs.

A few minutes later, Ashley was ready to go; her SUV was packed with a cooler, a few chairs, and a blanket. She texted Spencer that they were on their way shortly.

Ashley honked when she was downstairs in Spencer's apartment complex. The blonde came bobbing down the stairs, wearing a bikini top with a loose white tee over it, and cut off shorts that complimented her toned legs.

Ashley smiled as the blonde got in and gave her a quick peck. "Off to the beach!" Spencer proclaimed as the twins giggled in the backseat. The twins each carried their buckets and shovels down the white sand while Ashley and Spencer lugged the cooler and the blankets down near the water.

After getting the kids in a coat of sunscreen, Ashley let them play. She began to apply tanner to herself.

"Can you get my back?" Spencer asked. Ashley smirked and accepted the invitation. She slowly massaged the sunscreen onto the blonde's back and shoulders, making sure to revel in the moment.

Spencer did the same to Ashley and the two sat down in the sun and watched the kids play in the water.

"So-" both of them started at the same time. Ashley blushed and Spencer looked down at her hands.

"You first" Spencer smiled.

"Alright, well. Last night was very, very nice. This morning was better. I want you to be a part of my life. I know you said you wanted to take things slow, but I think that you are great with the kids and I open up to you easily. I think you opened up to me easy too, but I know you want to go slow because you don't want to get hurt again. I don't want to hurt you, I want to make you happy because you make me happy. You make things easy and –" Ashley rambled on.

"Ash! Stop." Spencer laughed. "What are you trying to say?"

"Will you be a part of my life? A part of my kid's lives? Will you be my girlfriend, Spence?" Ashley smiled as she took the blonde's hand in her own. She couldn't bring her eyes up to Spencer's for fear of rejection.

Spencer put her hand under Ashley's chin, matching her own blue eyes with Ashley's brown ones.

"Yes."

**I am probably the worst person. I'm sorry I let this story go so long without an update. I graduated and started a job, it's been a crazy busy year. But I want this story to be something. I hope this update was all that you hoped and there will be more! I promise! **

**PS: If you want a visual of Ben and Brooklyn, take a look at Ethan and Kaitlyn Maher, take the younger pictures of Kaitlyn and the older ones of Ethan **

**xoxo**


	12. Edge of the World

Edge of the World

Chapter 12

**Here ya'll go!**

Spencer smiled as she leaned over and kissed the brunette lightly on the lips. "I would love nothing more than to be a part of your life, and your kids." Ashley bashfully smiled and squeezed Spencer's hand.

"It means a lot to me that you want that." Ashley grinned. The two women sat back and basked in the sun, checking on the kids every now and then. Ashley peaked up when she heard Ben screaming. Brooklyn was frozen as she held a now empty bucket over her brother's head.

"This is pay back for the Fruity Pebbles!" Brooklyn yelled at her brother. Ashley groaned and stood up, made eye contact with Brooklyn and pointed her finger to the blanket.

"Brooklyn Rebecca!" She yelled. Brooklyn dropped her head and stood up. She solemnly walked over to where her mother was standing. Spencer had gotten up to see if Ben was okay, which he was. "You know better than that." Ashley spoke to her daughter in a stern, but soft, voice. She bent down to Brooklyn's level and sat the little girl down. "Five minutes, missy."

Ashley sat back down in her chair, she shook her head, laughing a bit, as Spencer came back up to the blanket. Spencer sat next to the two brunettes, watching Ben rebuild another sand castle (which really just resembled a mountain of sand).

"Thanks, they can be a handful sometimes." Ashley stated as she gazed at the blue water.

"Well, now you have two extra hands around." Spencer blushed.

The duo spent the rest of the day soaking in the sun with the two munchkins. It was nearing three in the afternoon and the twins started to get cranky, they decided it was probably time to go home. After packing up the car, they were on their way to Ashley's again. Spencer volunteered to drive, she could tell Ashley was a little tired.

Spencer neared the exit to Ashely's house and peaked in the rearview mirror, noting that both twins were asleep. She went to tap Ashley so she could take a look but Ashley was asleep as well. Spencer laughed to herself and drove the rest of the way to the townhome.

"What's your favorite movie?" Spencer asked the brunette over a glass of wine. The twins had gone to bed super easy tonight and Spencer and Ashley had decided to take the opportunity to get to know each other more.

"Blue Crush, just something about Kate Bosworth in a bikini." Ashley winked. "I guess you could say I have a thing for blondes."

Spencer rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're going to be trouble aren't you?"

"The twins do take after me!" Ashley grinned as she scooted closer to Spencer, leaning her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. Spence grabbed Ashley's hand and sipped her wine. She was truly happy, something she hadn't been in a while.

Ashley looked up at her. "What's going through that pretty head of yours right now?" She asked.

"Nothing too much. I'm just happy." Spencer said. She smiled at Ashley, falling into those big brown eyes. This was the last thing that she had expected when she came out to LA, she did it to get away from the small-town mindset and continue her education.

"I want you to meet my dad." Ashley smiled. "He means a lot to me, and he's a big part of the twins' lives. I know it's a little soon, but I think it's important."

"Okay. I would love to meet your dad. I've only heard good things about him!" Ashley kissed Spencer as a result of her reaction. Spencer set her wine down, Ashley did the same. The blonde moved her hand and cradled the brunette's neck, bringing her closer, kissing her harder.

Ashley took the initiative to scoop Spencer up and pull her onto her lap. As Spencer straddled her girlfriend, she slowly started to grind her hips, slow enough to start to work Ashley up. Ashley lightly moaned as Spencer began to kiss her neck, working a pulse point that turned out to be Ashely's weakness.

"The kids." Ashley said shortly. Spencer nodded, getting the hint the Ashley wanted to move upstairs. Ashley left the wine glasses for the morning, taking her girl by the hand and leading her up the stairs. As soon as the door shut, Ashley's lips her on Spencer's.

It was like the two could not be separated. Ashley pushed Spencer down onto the mattress and climbed on top of her. She slowly removed Spencer's top and threw it to the wayside. She kissed up and down the blonde's toned stomach, causing Spence to throw her head back and moan.

Spencer raked her fingernails up Ashley's back, bringing her tank top along with it. As the two continued to kiss, they were shortly interrupted by a little voice, "Momma?"

Ashley looked up from her place above Spencer and gasped. "Ben, go to your room, I'll be right there."

Spencer laid back and covered herself, a little mortified from the little boy walking in on the two of them. Ashley looked at the blonde with sympathetic eyes, "One sec." She held up a finger. Ashley grabbed her shirt, threw it on and walked into the twins' room. She sat on the floor next to Ben's racecar bed.

"Hey dude. What's up?" She whispered, careful not to wake Brooklyn. She pulled Ben into her lap and looked at the little boy. She saw Aiden in him more and more as the days went by.

"I had a bad dream." Ben simply stated.

"Can you tell me about it?"

"Me and you and Brookie were at the beach and a giant seagull came and scooped me up! It was like Finding Nemo, with the big bird. I yelled and yelled but you couldn't get me!" Ben explained, clearly shaken about his nightmare.

"Aw Buddy, you're too big for a seagull to get you. I promise, I would never let anything like that happen to you."

"What were you and Spencer doing?" Ben asked, seeming to forget his dream.

"We were just talking bud. Sometimes grownups kiss and talk at the same time." Ashley said, making up a story as she went along.

"Okay." Ben replied, he got up and climbed back into bed. "G'night mommy!" He smiled.

"Goodnight bud. I love you." Ashley grinned as she kissed his forehead. She left the door open a bit and walked back into her room. She found the blonde in her bed, asleep, on her side of the bed. Ashley shook her head and laughed. She slipped off her jeans and climbed into bed next to Spencer. She scooted closer to the blonde and lightly kissed her temple.

"Goodnight beautiful." She whispered.

"I'm not asleep." Spencer rolled over so she was face to face with the brunette.

"Good." Ashley smiled as she kissed Spencer and her hands travelled further south.

The next morning Ashley woke up before Spencer, she checked her phone, which had been on silent for the night. She had 16 missed calls and more missed text messages. Ashley's heart stopped when she opened the first text. It was from her dad's band manager, Rick.

**Ashley, I need you to call me. There's been an accident. – Rick**

"Shit." Ashley said to herself. She called Rick and found out that her dad had been in a car accident the night before.

"Spencer, can you watch the kids for me? I have to go to the hospital." She stated somewhat calmly, still in shock.

"Ash, what happened?"

"My dad."


End file.
